The nation’s audiences were captivated this week by a perfect storm of sunshine, sport and school holidays. A record-breaking heatwave, an unforgettable Champions League Final and the start of May Half Term combined to drive engagement across Ozone’s platform, and with the World Cup just around the corner, the biggest is yet to come.
Topical News
Video Gaming engagement soared 16% last week following EGX, the UK’s biggest gaming expo from May 22–24, which generated review content, highlights coverage and gaming news that brought audience attention to Ozone’s platform. This growth can also be attributed to the release of 007: First Light, which contributed to a 2.8x uplift in Role Playing Video Games and a 10% uplift in Console Gaming.
The UK’s heatwave continued across last week, pushing Weather content up a further 54% as Brits took to the outdoors to enjoy the sun, with Outdoor Activities (Events & Attractions) climbing another 25% and Parks & Nature up 81%
Concerns over record-breaking temperatures have heated up Science content by 29%. Environment has surged 32% and Geography 52%. Meanwhile, the discovery of a cancer jab that can eradicate tumours in patients has driven a 32% surge in Biological Science, as Brits read up on what this could mean for the future of medicine.
The continuation of the heatwave brought a flurry of activity to Home & Garden content, up 26% WoW. This was driven by Home Appliances (77%) and Indoor Environmental Quality (3.4x) as Brits looked for fans and other items to cool down.
Finally, with Tube Strikes taking place this week, we expect related Travel content to surge as Londoners plan routes.
Seasonal Events
Arsenal’s run to the Champions League Final against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday sent Football content flying, up 33% year on year. Sunday’s Women’s FA Cup Final at Wembley added further fuel to an already electric weekend of football, keeping fans engaged across both the men’s and women’s game.
With the FIFA World Cup just weeks away, engagement shows no sign of slowing. USA Travel content has already begun to build, up 8%, as fans plan trips to the host nation, and we expect to see spikes across Food & Drink, Events & Attractions and beyond as the biggest sporting moment of the year gets underway.
Half term last week saw a flurry of related engagement with a 5% uplift in Education page views, driven by Primary Education (15%) and Undergraduate Education (18%) as Universities begin to finish for the year. Half term activities saw a 12% boost in Hobbies & Interests engagement, with a focus on Workshops & Classes, up 43%, as parents looked to keep littles ones busy and happy.
The bank holiday weekend saw National & Civic Holidays surge 36%. It also gave Healthy Living a timely bump, up 14%, as Brits explored running routes, outdoor activities and wellbeing breaks as audiences leaned into the warmer weather and extra time away from work. Holistic Health saw a 39% surge, Nutrition a 29% boost and Wellness an 11% uplift as spring fitness trends continued.
